Fate's Prisoners

chapter 7

One month later

Luna
I woke up the same time as normal and got ready to go with a smile, I sat in my vanity brushing my long black hair softly. Yesterday I had received a letter from my mother telling me that she has had to hide the money I send from my father. If he had seen it, he would have spent it. Other than that, they have been fine from what they have told me. My mom still works hard while my father does nothing but creates burdens. I hoped seeing how hard my mother and I worked to save him he would try and change but nope not at all. I am going to convince my mother to leave him as soon as possible because I'm tired of us having to suffer because of that man. I had finished getting ready and I was heading to the spot I meet Emperor Youngbae in the mornings. When I arrived, he was already seated with his eyes closed. I walked over and greeted him. "Your majesty. " I said bowing. "Luna please take a seat, I have something important to speak to you about." He says I did as I was told and took my place next to him. "What is concerning you, your majesty?" I asked. "My mother is constantly as Emperor me to produce an heir, but I still have not. She wants me to do so soon. I don't want to have a child with just anyone, I want to love that person and trust her with my life and my child's" he says in a frustrated voice. "Well, your mother has made it clear she what she wants and until you find that person the best, I can tell you is to stall for time. It will be a bit easier given the fact that you are healthy and can reproduce until you turn a certain age. As long as you keep her occupied you will have time to find your one." I said with a bit of a heavy heart. I don't know why thinking of the Emperor loving someone was hurting me a little. I pushed it aside and let him continue to vent his frustrations freely. When he finished, he seemed much calmer." Luna, we meet here every morning and we barely talk about you." He says. "That's alright my life and work are not nearly as interesting or challenging as yours, your majesty. " I reassure him. "Well, tell me what drama has been happening in the palace I don't really know about." He says. "Well besides the fact almost every woman hates me I'm sure you know everything," I said with a heavy voice. "Why do you think they hate you?" He asked. "Ever since I came here ladies have hated my guts because they fear I will steal your favor," I explained with a sigh. He said nothing but it made me curious about what he could be thinking.

Youngbae 
Those women have reason to be worried because it's true. She may not know it, but she is giving me feelings I have never felt for anyone before. She could be my one, I need to be sure, but I can't pursue her until she does what she needs to. She made it clear she came here to work and nothing else. If she were to be my woman now, she wouldn't have to work. I would take care of her family for her and do anything she wishes to make her happy. I worry that if I don't tell her she will leave the palace when she has done what she had to. "Your majesty." Her voice interrupted my thoughts, so I looked at her. "Huh, oh I'm sorry I was thinking of something," I said. "What was it?" She asked. "I was thinking of what if you were to be my wife, I would do anything to make you happy, including helping your family." I said and watched her smile." I would hope so, but I don't want to depend on others to do things for me. If I do, I will not know how to do things for myself." She says. "Are you crazy, you traveled all the way here to work and save your family. All by yourself with no help from anyone, you deserve to be pampered at least once. Not to mention you work very hard to get what you want and or need." I pointed out but she said nothing for a moment. "I guess you're right, but I still don't want to depend on others too much." She says with a sigh. We stopped talking for a bit and she was currently watching the sunrise. I watched her with a gentle gaze and wondered how to convince her to stay when the time comes. I also wondered if she is worried about her upcoming promotion. Her teacher has told me countless time show well she has been doing in her training. "Luna are you excited?" I asked her. "For what?" She asked turning to me innocently. " Your being promoted soon; this is what you wanted." I reminded her. "Yes, I'm very excited, soon I will be able to do who knows what. "She says happily. "When you finish what you came here for, do you intend to leave the palace?" I asked her. "Well, I don't know. When I finish my mission there is nothing really keeping me here. But at the same time when I finish there is nothing pushing me to go home." She says telling me she is in between roads. "Well if I have any effect on your reasoning, I wish you would stay here," her smile showed again. "Why? don't you want to leave sometimes?" She asked. "Yes, because some days this place is like a prison but on others, it's the most beautiful place in the world," I explained. "I'll think about that because I want to go home but I don't want to leave." She says looking deeply into my eyes. We are very close to one another and both feeling the moment we are in. She stays still with worried eyes not knowing what to do. I decided to take the lead and began to move closer to her slowly. At this time there was no way I could get any closer without kissing her.

I could hear my heartbeat in my chest and I'm sure she could too. I was about to kiss her like I have been wishing for since she got here. So close but whenever something gets so close it always ends up. "Your majesty." We both looked over and saw Jane walking from down the path. So close yet so far. Luna moved away quickly, and this left me upset due to Jane's appearance. Luna and I stood up together and she stood next to me. "You, why are you here?!" She shouted at Luna who said nothing but put her head down. "Who are you to yell at her like that?!" I shouted at her. "Your majesty... She...she is just a servant girl." Jane says pointing at Luna who stayed quiet. "And what are you? You work for me as well, does that not make you a servant women." I reminded Lady Jane, leaving her very flustered. "Your majesty?" She says not knowing what to say. "Also, I told you not to disturb me during my time alone." I pointed out. "You are not alone; you are with her." She says. "I was alone with her on my time, you have no place to barge in," I said she didn't know what to do. "Now, go I don't want to see you right now," I commanded. She had no other choice but to obey me. When she left, I turned back to Luna who still had her head down." Why didn't you speak up for yourself?" I asked worried she was too scared of Jane. "I can't, I am still a servant. She outranks me. I thought if I said nothing, she would just yell at me and leave as always." She explains sadly. " how often does she do that?" I asked. "Whenever she sees me." She confessed with obvious stress in her tone. "I won't let her do it anymore I promise, whenever you are not with my mother, I want you with me," I said. "But is that not going to make her angrier?" I asked. "That doesn't matter, I won't have her doing things out of her place," I said before we began to head back inside.

Jane
That little witch has worked her ways on the Emperor and now he has turned against me. What should I do? I can't punish her when she is with the Empress mother, and the Emperor will protect her when he is with her. I know if he hears about me hurting her, he will punish me. I watched them walk in together and disappeared down the hall. "Just you wait, Luna, you will get your punishment sooner or later."

Luna
For the next few days, I was always by the Emperor's side when I was not by his mother's. He made sure Jane didn't dare to approach me and I was very grateful. His act was very attractive as well, but I didn't want to say anything. His mother had never seen him act that way with anyone. I am currently with her and it is almost midnight, but the Empress was busy, so she had not dismissed me yet. While waiting on her a maid hurried into the room. " your majesty the Emperor has requested lady in waiting Luna to go to his throne room." She said me curious. She looked up from her papers and then at me. "Alright let's go then." She says getting up and we began to walk to the Emperor's throne room. 
When we arrived, I saw his concubines all there waiting while the Emperor sat in his seat with a cold face. The Empress mother took her place beside him and I bowed to him before taking my place behind her. "I have summoned you all here to do two things. First, Luna please come forward." He says I got up and walked over to him then bowed. "I would like to announce that Luna has officially been promoted to a noble scholar. No longer will she be a lady in waiting to my mother" he says I was surprised he announced this to them. I looked and saw all the women with bitter faces about my new job. I now outrank them by a lot. I was not really thinking much about that, I was happy I would earn a lot more money faster to send home. "Next I want to warn you all not to mess with her. She is now in a higher rank and is free to be seen with me as she please. I made her spend time with me over the past month. She didn't want to because she feared you all would attack her. She was correct and I am here to make sure it stops. You all are forbidden from harming her, I am not your property, but you all are mine. I am free to be with anyone I want meaning I can be with all of you or I can be with Luna if I want to " he says they all felt really small from his warning. I didn't like it either, to be honest. Yes, he is trying to protect me, but he is reminding myself and all these women that he is the one who can have a new woman whenever he wishes. Does this mean he is infatuated with me? I don't want that and not because I can say I don't feel anything for him but because I don't want to be like my mother. In a one-sided love, I can't escape from because I love him with everything I have. My mother is suffering because she refuses to leave him, I don't want to be trapped like that. My thoughts were interrupted when I was pulled, and I felt something on my lips. It took me a second to realize it was the Emperor kissing me.

The women were furious, and I was shocked. I didn't move or kiss him back before he let me go, he looked into my eyes as if he were searching for something. I couldn't think properly now, so I ran out as quickly as possible. On the way out I saw the bitter faces of the jealous concubines who wished they could have been in my position. I felt like a defenseless kid now and went to the safest place I could think of.